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Edinburgh signs up to save the reef

On a number of occasions the Edinburgh group has set up a stall in the Meadows to collect signatures to save the Amazon Reef.

The 600-mile coral reef was discovered in 2016 at the mouth of the Amazon. Despite corals usually preferring well lit and clear waters this one thrives in some of the muddiest river mouths in the world, making it one of its kind. But the awe and wonder over this new amazing discovery was soon interrupted by major concerns.

Oil companies were given the green light to explore for oil, British Petroleum (BP) being one of them. An oil spill here would be disastrous. Not only would it harm the many species of aquatic life and severely damage the livelihood of the indigenous communities that live in the area. To clean up an oil spill in such remote area might be next to impossible. And looking at BP's track record, we do not want a repetition of Deepwater Horizon - one of the worst environmental disasters ever seen!

All over the country Greenpeace groups are out collecting signatures from the public. The Edinburgh team collected 256 signatures and together with our ally Spongebob Squarepants, we visited BP petrol stations to hand in a letter to the management. The letter is urging BP to cancel their plans, and shows that our plea is backed by concerned citizens.

On our first visit we went to the BP petrol station in Bruntsfield, where we delivered the letter. On our 2nd visit to a garage we headed to New Town, to the BP station in Canonmills. Unfortunately after checking their handbook, the staff let us know their were unable to accept our letter or any material.

The campaign to save the reef is still ongoing, so there will be more opportunities to join us at either a campaign stall or to a visit to a BP station. Keep an eye on the Edinburgh group where we'll post any upcoming events.